The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

46. The Great War Triggered in Graham! (2)

The first to move wasn’t the Southern Army or the Northern Army.

It was the Iron Alliance, newly joined with the Ignit Federation.

Iron began mobilizing its navy, pressing Rotheon alongside the Imperial Western Army. In response, Rotheon’s navy was deployed to counter this.

It seemed like a battle could erupt at any moment, yet no fighting occurred.

Both Iron and Rotheon avoided direct confrontation, engaging instead in small skirmishes.

Then, the Imperial Southern Army began to move troops towards the borders of Talos. Contrary to initial predictions of movement from the Eastern Army, the Empire’s Eastern Army turned its focus towards the Principality instead.

“Are they completely sealing off Roman’s intervention?” Duke Pires frowned.

“It’s certain that Salvatore is not with the Iron navy,” came the response.

“Then, does that mean Salvatore really is heading to the Principality…?”

Duke Pires wore a serious expression.

With both the Eastern Army and Iron’s Master Salvatore heading to the Principality, it expressed the Empire’s refusal to be obstructed by Roman in this war.

For the sake of sending the inexperienced young Salvatore to the Principality, the Empire deployed its two Masters to the Southern Expedition.

This was the Empire’s objective.

“…As expected?”

The Empire had no rush.

Even if a battle broke out, the Empire would have the upper hand, and even if they braced for a blockade, they could not control the revolutionary forces surging throughout the nation, leading to their downfall.

Ultimately, the Empire was the one with the leeway.

Thus, Rotheon was preparing a trump card.

“Is there a possibility they’ve caught onto our intentions?”

“Unlikely. We have only contacted them once.”

Duke Pires sighed at the intelligence agent’s words.

The war had already begun.

Just as the time came when they could no longer retreat, a guest arrived. At that moment, Rotheon had only them to rely on.

Of course, this operation was known only to Rotheon.

Talos could not know if there were any spies within, and the Holy Nation had to be excluded as well.

Their guests were an existence that could never be tolerated from the perspective of the Holy Nation, so the operation was taking place secretly.

“If only the Emperor dies, this fight is our victory.”

Duke Pires said this with gleaming eyes.

While Rotheon prepared its own plans, Talos, with a heavy heart, prepared for everything as well.

“The moment we see an opening, we must strike.”

“Yes.”

Duke Cletta bowed his head in response to King Talos’s words.

Their target was the moment the Empire wavered.

Once the war formally began, their secret weapon would emerge from the hidden base they had prepared.

This would plunge the Empire’s East into chaos, and at that moment, Talos’s secret pact would shine.

“May the blessings of the gods be upon this kingdom…”

At the King’s words, Duke Cletta too bowed his head silently and prayed to the divine.

*

As the war for the future of the West Continent began in earnest, the Imperial Palace grew busy.

They proceeded with the operation as planned, yet wars always brought about unforeseen circumstances.

“What issues are we facing?”

“None so far.”

The Minister of Military nodded in response to Kariel’s inquiry.

“What about the chaos?”

“Internal disturbances within the Empire are almost non-existent.”

“And the economic situation?”

“It’s within the expected range.”

The Ministers of Internal Affairs and Finance replied in turn, and Kariel nodded.

Everything was going according to plan.

This made him all the more uneasy. Until the dagger the Southern Kingdoms had prepared was confirmed, he had to be ready for contingencies.

“Chancellor.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Prepare to leave with my younger siblings, as discussed in advance.”

At Kariel’s command, the Chancellor’s expression hardened.

“Your Majesty…”

“We need to be prepared for any situation.”

The Chancellor bit his lip at Kariel’s order.

The operation was already underway.

Thus, it was indeed wise to be ready for contingencies.

“…Understood.”

As the Chancellor bowed, Kariel subtly nodded at Talion.

“What’s happening with Roman?”

“Nothing yet.”

“Hmph… that seems suspicious. There hasn’t been any contact from the Principality?”

“Yes.”

Indeed, the timing for Roman to act was ripe.

Yet, silence reigned.

Through the intelligence network from Wingzar and the spies embedded in the East Continent, they found nothing.

“What about the Dark Mages?”

At Kariel’s question, Talion shook his head again.

This silence from the forces that would surely not remain at rest during the Great War of the West Continent indicated something was being concealed.

He wished he could grasp what it was, but it seemed they were intent on hiding it until the very end.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Ultimately, Kariel sighed at the fact that they could not discern their intentions until the war formally began, and he reassessed the current situation.

Duke Devir and the Central Army were moving towards Talos, while Marquis Achelio and the Imperial Palace Knights set out to halt the Southern Army at Rotheon.

Upon hearing news from the Intelligence Department that revolutionary forces were gathering in Graham, they quickly deployed troops to the border, ready to cross Talos and Rotheon’s boundary at any moment.

Even so, staying near the border was due to the uncertainty about what preparations the two kingdoms had in store.

“The problem is the Holy Nation… what are the odds that the Sun Blade has become a Master?”

“Over 70 percent.”

Kariel sighed at Talion’s response.

“What about the chances for Duke Welch?”

“It’s hard to say, but… it seems unfavorable.”

Neither the Sun Blade nor Duke Welch had been Masters for long.

However, if both were at a similar level of awakening, the Sun Blade, which wielded divine power, had the advantage.

Mages needed their own crafted mana, whereas those using divine power generally had little resistance to accepting other divine powers.

Since the Sun Blade had also become a Master, it could wield aura, but could also cast some divine magic.

Thus, utilizing sacred artifacts would allow for unorthodox attacks if their powers were weakened.

“Sacred artifacts, huh…”

“Nonetheless, with Marquis Sicario around, the balance should hold.”

At this moment, the strongest in the West Continent was Marquis Sicario.

With his might, which surpassed even the Pope’s, there should be some semblance of balance.

“Yet, I’m still worried.”

Kariel was acutely aware that not everything proceeded as planned from his past life experiences.

Having always struggled with insufficient forces, maintaining power preservation was his top priority.

This wasn’t a real war; it was merely a conflict against the nations of the West Continent wherein he couldn’t afford to expend precious powers.

“Just buy us as much time as possible.”

“Yes.”

Pressing his requests to the Northern Army again, Kariel fell into deep thought.

Both the Holy Nation and Empire had some grasp of each other’s strengths.

A genius appearing in the Empire like a comet.

To hide the powerful sword Glen, Kariel had thrown Duke Welch under the bus.

After breaking through the barriers with Kariel’s aid, Duke Welch smeared rumors of moving secretly towards the Northern Army, while also letting slip that Glen hadn’t finished his rigorous training.

“The Empire’s secret weapon is still incomplete.”

This was the content of the report obtained by the Intelligence Department after uncovering the Holy Nation’s spy.

It indicated that Glen had yet to become a Master and that the Empire was awaiting the moment he would break through completely.

And this information was shared with the Southern Kingdoms.

In other words, the Southern Kingdoms and Holy Nation believed that the Empire was simply waiting for Glen to attain mastery.

The strategy of the Empire envisioned by the three nations could be summarized as three main points.

1. Glen’s Master Awakening

2. The Revolution Forces’ Southern Suppression

3. Coercive Measures

A prolonged war was guaranteed to favor the Empire.

Using the revolutionary forces to instigate division and sow discord within the three nations.

Simultaneously, if Glen were to become a Master, it would be extensively publicized to accelerate the fragmentation.

Of course, on a broader scale, this sentiment held some truth.

However, a significant pitfall also existed.

“From now on, keep an eye on the Southern Kingdoms.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Talion bowed his head in response to Kariel’s command.

Before the war began, Kariel focused his strikes on the Holy Nation.

Having succeeded in sowing chaos among the Southern Kingdoms through Graham, he used the Intelligence Department in concert with the Holy Nation.

Injecting spies and manipulating the revolutionary forces, along with a massive bribery offensive.

Under normal circumstances, such operations would have gone unnoticed, but due to the High Priests being co-opted by Roman and the Dark Mages, a gap had appeared.

Thanks to that, Kariel could be quite confident regarding the Holy Nation.

‘The Holy Nation’s sole dagger is the Sun Blade.’

This assurance significantly eased Kariel’s worries about the Holy Nation.

Assuming the Northern Army held up well, there was no need to worry about other fronts. Rather, it was the Holy Nation that needed to worry about its internals.

If a war with the Empire commenced, there were many who would reveal troubling behaviors within.

Ultimately, the Imperial Army crossed the border without having fully grasped the hidden moves of the Southern Kingdoms.

This was inevitable, as the situation in Graham had turned unfavorable.

With Graham effectively becoming the stronghold of revolutionary forces, massive protest marches toward the Southern Kingdoms began.

“Revolution! Revolution!”

Countless people cried out for revolution as they marched, and perhaps due to the many participants?

People who would’ve feared even showing interest until now began to join the procession one by one.

Two massive marches erupted from Graham.

As revolutionary forces moved toward both capitals, those dissatisfied with the caste system began to join in, leading to an overwhelming number of participants gathering.

In an attempt to halt this movement, the remaining border guards of the two kingdoms sprang into action, along with noble retainers.

As their serfs began to escape their domains, nobles appeared to stop them.

In this process, many lives were lost, and far more Empire citizens perished, ultimately forcing the Imperial Army to cross the border.

“The Imperial Army has crossed the border! They are advancing towards the capital alongside the protesters!”

“Buy us as much time as possible!”

The sole command from Rotheon’s military was clear: delay them as long as possible.

In contrast, Talos had no such orders.

They were left to their own devices.

With the criminal organizations thought to be eradicated re-emerging, even the command structure failed to function correctly.

As both kingdoms fell into disarray, it was the Imperial Army that stepped in to restore order.

“The Imperial Army has defeated the bandit group! Are they the saviors of Talos?”

“Distributing supplies to the citizens of Rotheon, the Imperial Army.”

As they took care of the tasks the two kingdoms should have managed, the Imperial Army earned the goodwill of the people.

Was that the reason? Up until now, the people of the kingdom had perceived the revolutionary forces solely as agents of the Empire infiltrating to devour the Southern Kingdoms, but views started to shift.

“If it’s going to be like this, we might as well be absorbed into the Empire.”

“Is this really a nation?”

“Let’s start a revolution! Let’s join in!”

Even those who held onto their loyalty toward the kingdom until the very end began to join the tide of revolution as the local territories of Talos and Rotheon were nearly devoured by the Empire.

If time continued down this path, it would naturally become part of the Empire’s territory.

Yet, both kingdoms remained quiet.

As if they were waiting for something, they clustered around their capitals to await the Imperial Army.

While the situation in the South flowed favorably for the Empire, the Holy Nation and Imperial Army continued to engage in fierce battles.

“Hold out to the very end.”

At Marquis Sicario’s words, Duke Welch nodded faintly.

Understanding it would be a grueling fight, Duke Welch bit his lip and began to gather mana to face the Sun Blade.

Having confirmed through several skirmishes that the Sun Blade held the upper hand, he set aside all his pride to focus solely on binding the feet of the Sun Blade’s Holy Knight Order with his magical legion.

Perhaps as a result?

The paladins that the Holy Nation prided themselves on found their movements restrained, and the battles lingered without great harm.

At this rate, the Emperor’s aim of dragging the war into a long-term conflict appeared likely to come to fruition.

Just then, the awaited strike from Rotheon began.